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Usually Verizon Wireless gets all the EV-DO mobile broadband love, but Sprint is not lagging far behind. The company's Sprint Power Vision network - unveiled in July - based on EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) wireless service, a CDMA-based 3G technology, is now available in 141 major markets and 250 airports, according to Sprint Nextel (check the location list).

The carrier expects to be in 220 markets by early next year. Average connection speed for devices on the network is 400 to 700 Kbps, with bursts up to 2 Mbps. The cost to get unlimited access is $40 per month or $60 if you get a voice account to go with it, plus you get a free connection card for your laptop if you sign up before the end of this year.

Portrait of an EV-DO Handset
One Sprint smartphone compatible with its EV-DO network is also the first Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphone in the United States, the PPC-6700 Pocket PC Phone. The handset also supports Wi-Fi WLAN and Bluetooth to connect wirelessly to headsets, PCs, and other devices (such as car kits).

Like many other smartphones today, the PPC-6700 integrates a QWERTY thumb-keyboard that slides out from the bottom of the unit—a QVGA (240 x 320 pixel) resolution type typical for a Pocket PC. You need to use the keyboard when the display is in landscape mode.

Keyboard Out

Keyboard Retracted

                                    PPC-6700

Additional features include a 1.3-megapixel camera with built-in flash and digital zoom for taking still images and video. The device also includes a built-in mini USB port and miniSD expansion card to add memory; transfer music, photos and video from the desktop; or load additional games and applications.

As a Windows Mobile handset, the PPC-6700 includes versions of familiar applications like Microsoft Outlook, Pocket Internet Explorer 4.0, and Windows Media Player 10. Windows Mobile 5.0 features Microsoft ActiveSync (version 4.0) for faster and easier synchronization of e-mail, contacts, calendar, tasks, and documents. There's also Pocket MSN with Hotmail, Messenger and content services for maps and directions, weather, news, money, entertainment and yellow pages.

The 4.25 x 2.3 x 1.0-inch and 6.07-ounce device runs on a 416 MHz Intel PXA270 processor. PPC-6700's 1350 mAh Lithium Ion Polymer battery promises up to 3.7 hours of talk time.

Sprint regularly sells the PPC-6700 for $630, but is on sale now for about $450.